Food & Drink Channel

Rock salt (optional; see Note)

For Mornay Sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat; whisk in flour until well incorporated. Cook, while stirring, until mixture has a frothy body and light gold color. Whisk in warm milk and cook until sauce thickens and begins to simmer. Reduce heat and whisk in salt, pepper, nutmeg and truffle oil until thoroughly combined. Using the whisk, slowly fold in Emmentaler cheese; the sauce will become much thicker at this point. The sauce should have a pancake batter-like consistency. If the completed sauce seems too thick, add a little more warm milk. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and reserve.

For Truffle Crust: In a food processor, combine panko, parsley, chives, Parmesan, bacon drippings and truffle oil until well mixed.

To Assemble: Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place a layer of rock salt in the bottom of a baking tray to prevent the oysters from falling over while baking (see Note). Shuck oysters and place each on a deeper shell half; discard remaining shell halves. Arrange oysters on the baking tray. Using a teaspoon, spoon Mornay Sauce over each oyster, coating completely. Lightly cover oysters with truffle crust. Place oysters in oven and bake for 5 minutes, then place under broiler until light brown (approximately 2 more minutes). Serve immediately.

Notes: Panko are very light Japanese bread crumbs available in the Asian section of most grocery stores. In lieu of rock salt, nests of aluminum foil can be used to hold the oysters in place on the baking tray. Wear gloves when opening oysters. Chef John Russ says: “For the oysters, choosing large, heavy, fresh oysters is important. We use Texas coast oysters for our dish; however, any oyster will work. For an appetizer, at least three oysters per person usually works well. This is a great treat during the holidays; my family does a similar recipe throughout the Christmas season whenever we have guests over. The Mornay and Crust will keep for several weeks if stored properly in a (refrigerator).”